It was early March and the coronavirus – not yet declared a pandemic – seemed a relatively distant threat. For most of us, daily life was still largely unaffected. Twentytwo-year-old Bianchi Dama rider Bethany Taylor had just returned from a short stay with a team-mate and was looking forward to the season ahead.
“I was in the best form I’ve had in quite a few years,” Taylor tells me over Skype from her home in Newport, Wales. “Three or four days after getting home, I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t feel too well,’ but it just felt like a mild cold, so I kept on training.”
For the next week, Taylor carried on riding as usual – and then suddenly her symptoms escalated.
“I remember it clearly,” she says. “I’d done a four-hour ride the day before, and it hit me like a ton of bricks; I felt so bad. Covid-19 suddenly felt very real – before then, I hadn’t really known much about it.”
It soon became clear this was no ordinary cold or flu.
“I never usually feel dizzy, but the next day as I was making breakfast I began to feel really dizzy, then literally blacked out and dropped to the kitchen floor.”
Debilitating downturn
From best form in years to slumped on the kitchen floor; it was a disconcerting nosedive in physical condition for the elite racer – and it was about to get even worse.
“For the next couple of days I was feeling tight-chested and having headaches, but it still didn’t seem particularly bad – until the breathing problem worsened.”
As someone with exceptional cardiovascular fitness, Taylor could not have prepared herself for the precipitous decline in exercise tolerance.
This story is from the July 02, 2020 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 02, 2020 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Giant TCR Composite Gold
If this bike looks opulent, over the top and über-bling now, imagine the reaction of the bike-buying public 22 years ago when it was unveiled as a special limited edition made with real gold plate and costing the unthinkable sum of $10,000.
WATT WORKS FOR ME Kasia Niewiadoma
The Tour of Flanders runner-up talks lost bikes, altitude training and strength workouts
BREWING A BOOST
Coffee and cycling may be inextricably linked, but does the black stuff really improve our performance on the bike? Lexie Williamson investigates
Soto Helix Coffee Maker - £21.95
I really love the minimalism of this coffee brewer. It's a pour over stripped to its bare essentials: a conical spring that can hold a paper filter, and then compresses nearly flat when not in use.
Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over
The Stanley Perfect-Brew Pour Over is the second simplest coffee maker on test, beaten only by the incredibly minimalist Soto Helix.
GSI Mini Espresso Set 1 Cup - £51.50
Starting off with the coffee makers that require a heat source, we have the GSI Outdoors Mini Espresso Set 1 Cup.
How do I up my coffee game?
How does the average Joe make the perfect mug of Joe? We sent Joe Baker to find out
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
GOING FULL BEANS
Most cyclists enjoy a decent coffee, but some take it a step further. CW meets five self-declared obsessives who have pushed their twin passions, bikes and beans, to the nth degree
A love affair
Coffee connoisseur Adam Becket delves into the storied yet mysterious relationship between cycling and the original energy drink